The Unbidden: A New World (1) (Short Parts)

Part 22

Upon walking in, we were greeted by the familiar sounds of whooping and hollering despite it only being a little past noon.

"Take that!" a man shouted at a nearby table, slamming a card with a rectangle onto a table.

"Wha – how!?" his opponent stuttered.

The crowd around the group roared in excitement. The one who played the card scooped a pile of coin from the table and into a large pouch.

As we passed by, I wondered what kind of jobs a city like this would offer to someone who didn't have much experience with the world. Nobody seemed to pay the three of us much mind as we approached the receptionist's counter.

A young, stout man greeted us amidst the rowdiness.

"Welcome to the Red Wing guild!" he shouted, bringing his arms out in a large welcoming gesture.

"Thanks, we came here looking for work," I replied just as loudly.

I heard a large piece of wood being broken and several grunts nearby. I didn't bother to look. That was someone else's trouble.

The young man looked at the three of us up and down for a moment.

"The best work I can give someone like you is odd jobs around the city. I can't really send you out on hunting quests without any weapons," he chuckled.

I had a passing thought before about getting that kind of reaction. I glanced at Jayde and Thea.

"I think you can trust us to take care of some low-level hunting quests," I said confidently.

He seemed to mull it over in his mind a second before his eyes lit up from an epiphany.

"I forgot to ask! Are you already a part of a guild?" He asked.

Thea and I brandished our group's copper bracelets showing our group's rank.

"We are. We're part of Mercer's Mercenary Guild. We came looking for a new job as we completed our escort quest," I said, handing him the papers for the quest.

The man took and examined them. He excused himself from the counter for a few moments before returning.

"That makes sense, then. A guy from Valen's came in and handed us his papers, too. Mentioned people who looked like you," he said.

"So, Copper IV completing a Silver II quest, normal payout was a Peri gold. Calculating the difference in rank equates to a fifty percent increase. How would you like payment?" he asked.

"The single gold coin and fifty silver will work."

He nodded, leaving the counter once more before returning with a small pouch. I checked the contents after he handed it to me, ensuring the proper payment.

"Also, as a consequence of successfully completing your most recent quest, your group has been promoted to Silver I," he stated, handing Thea and myself two new bracelets.

They were silver with a large "I" engraved in it. We gave him our old ones and put the new bracelets on. That's when a thought occurred to me.

"Is it possible to add this young woman to our group?" I motioned to Jayde.

"Certainly," he said, pulling out a piece of parchment from under the counter.

"Just fill this out with her information and we'll send the information back to your home guild."

Jayde stepped to the counter and used the ink and quill provided to fill out her information.

Name: Jayde Kegger

Age: 21

Profession: Swordsman

There were other various pieces of information she wrote down, but those were the only three I paid attention to. I was captivated by just how smooth and eloquent her handwriting was.

The receptionist took the paper once she finished and folded it into an envelope and stamped it with their guild's symbol. Afterward, he left and came back with another bracelet, which he handed to Jayde.

"Well, your group is Silver I, so I technically can't stop you from taking on higher risked quests. I would just advise taking caution if you take on anything outside the city. The area is pretty well protected, but the creatures that lurk in the nearby forests are strong enough to wipe out whole groups," he stated.

"If that's the case, how come the city hasn't taken care of them? Seems like it'd be in the city's best interest."

He leaned in close.

"Between you and me, I think the city purposefully keeps them there. I don't know why, but my thought is the prince in charge uses them to make a profit illegally. I wouldn't go searching around though. You might end up as one of the missing groups."

I was certain there could be some deeper meaning and shady dealings going on if I really searched it out, but the logical part of my mind told me I should focus on the tasks at hand – I needed to get good with the sword and refine my ability to use magic further.

"I appreciate the sentiment. We don't have any plans to pursue that currently. Do you have any jobs that aren't pressed for time and are local to the city?" I asked.

"We have plenty, actually. Shopkeepers are always looking for help. You can take your pick from the board," he motioned to the far wall.

I thanked him for his assistance, and we proceeded to the board. Jayde and Thea quickly picked out some posts, and after scanning over the board for a few minutes, I decided to grab a post for a helping hand in an antique shop a few blocks from where we were living.